Many insects, such as bed bugs, lice, fleas, ticks, mosquitos, mites, ants, termites, and cockroaches, may infest the bodies and homes of humans and animals. The bite of these insects may cause the infested subject to scratch and break the skin, allowing bacteria to enter the body and possibly causing a serious bacterial infection. In other instances, these and other insects may cause structural harm to homes and buildings as well as cause unsightliness to humans.
To treat or prevent infestation, many people rely on insecticides and insect repellents. Numerous insecticides and insect repellents now exist on the market. Unfortunately, these options suffer from two notable shortcomings. First, many chemicals used in insecticides and repellents are also highly toxic to wildlife, and widespread use of these insecticides can create significant environmental and health hazards.
Second, insects may develop a resistance to an insecticide by producing large amounts of enzymes, such as esterases which either break down the insecticide molecule or bind to it so tightly that it cannot function. Alternatively, insects may mutate at the insecticide target site, which will block the action of the insecticide. Consequently, some commercially available insecticides rely on adding a secondary insecticide to the composition to hinder insect adaptation.